FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT TOM BRADY - PAGE 2

The second round of the NFL draft was kind to Notre Dame - and Jimmy Garoppolo. The Arlington Heights native who threw for 53 touchdown for Eastern Illinois last season will head to the Patriots to become Tom Brady's backup - and, potentially, his heir apparent. The two quarterbacks even have the same agent. Garoppolo said they have not had much contact, but he looks forward to that changing. "I've been looking up to him," he said, "since I was a little kid and started playing quarterback.

The dynamic of the NFL draft goes much deeper than first-round picks walking across the stage in three-piece suits (bought by their agents) to shake the commissioner's hand. For many prospects, the weekend is full of emotions. Sit by the phone, pace the floor and stare at the TV waiting to see your name. I was that player in 2000. On my drive home along Interstate 88 to Glen Ellyn after four years of football at Iowa, I carried with me the expectation I would get that one phone call sometime in the third round — or maybe the middle of the fourth, at the latest.

The full extent of Tom Brady's shoulder injury isn't known -- or the Patriots aren't saying, at least -- but the doctor who reconstructed his left knee said things look good on that front. "I know where we are with this thing, I know how far he's come, and I know how his knee feels not only to me but to him," Dr. Neal ElAttrache said in a phone interview Saturday. "All those things are extremely reassuring." ElAttrache was watching the broadcast of Friday's exhibition game between the Patriots and Redskins in which Brady was crunched to the turf at the end of the first half by defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.

Brad Biggs Big brother Peyton Manning and his neck have stolen show this week from Eli Manning and even Tom Brady, but there is a game coming. The Giants are a more balanced team with a fierce pass rush. Giants 27, Patriots 24 Matt Bowen Even with an injured Rob Gronkowski, Tom Brady will increase tempo to limit the Giants' front-four rush and dictate the flow of the game to win his fourth Super Bowl ring. Patriots 24 Giants 20 David Haugh Ignore the Roman numerals.

No need to call Maury Povich for a DNA test--Tom Brady is the father. Two days after a rep for actress Bridget Moynahan revealed she's three months' pregnant with his baby, a rep for the New England Patriots quarterback joined in spreading the happy news. "Tom and his family are excited about the pregnancy, and want to thank everyone who has shown support, and particularly for their consideration of Tom's privacy," Brady's agent, Don Yee, told the AP Tuesday. Brady and Moynahan split up late last year after a three-year relationship.

One former prominent teammate of Jay Cutler has spoken out against the quarterback after the way he carried himself Thursday night in the Chicago Bears' meltdown at Lambeau Field. Adewale Ogunleye, the retired defensive end who was a captain on the team with Cutler in 2009, said Cutler crossed the line when he bumped left tackle J'Marcus Webb coming off the field during the first half of the 23-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Cutler was sacked seven times, the second-most in his career, and threw four interceptions as the offense took a trip back in time to how it was in 2009 when Cutler led the NFL with 26 interceptions, six more than any other player.

Peyton Manning is now finally able to joke that Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are his daddies. How do we know? Because the Indianapolis QB told a self-deprecating Brady joke during a pre-graduation speech at Emory University, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports. In case you haven't heard it, the two-time MVP dies and goes to heaven, where he's shown to a modest house with a faded Colts flag. Next door is a mansion all decked out in Patriots regalia. So Manning asks God why Brady gets a dream house and he, once again, gets the shaft.

We're not saying Bridget Moynahan is bitter about her breakup with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady or anything, but she did give their newborn the initials J.E.T. For you gossip hounds who don't know a whit about football, the New York Jets and Patriots are like frenemies -- without the friend part. The actress also didn't give little John Edward Thomas his dad's last name. He's a Moynahan, like mommy. She did give Brady credit for flying to L.A. in time for J.E.T.

Story line: Drew Bledsoe threw four interceptions and his former understudy, Tom Brady, threw two touchdown passes as New England (8-5) beat Buffalo (6-7) in Foxboro, Mass. Star: Brady completed 15 passes to 10 receivers for 183 yards and no interceptions. Quote: "With everybody so bunched together in the standings, we have to be in playoff mode."--New England safety Lawyer Milloy.